I’m glad that I’m not living on our featured street today. A gourmand like me will surely grow fat if I live on this street since this is a food haven. This place called “Wai Sek Gai” in Cantonese. There’re over 30 food stalls along this stretch of road.

There are countless food stalls along this street, such a large conjugation of stalls can normally only be seen at night bazaars. There’re many dishes such as snacks, drinks, noodles, rice and porridge here. You will surely leave here with a full and satisfied tummy.

There’s a huge variety of tasty food on this street. Every food stall here is unique and has its own customer base. Even before the sun sets, hungry foodies are flocking here to enjoy a good meal. There’s a mix of new and old food stalls here. Some have 2 to 3 years of history, others have been around for 50 years.

This stall selling Fried Rice Cake stands out from the rest, it’s been around for more than 60 years.

Fried Rice Cake is also known as “Cha Koay Kak”. Garlic and pickled radish are fried with pieces of fragrant rice cake, dark soy sauce, fish sauce and bean sprouts. After some vigorous frying in the pan, the dish is served piping hot. The rice cake has a crisp exterior and a soft interior.

Patron: I feel that the Fried Rice Cake here is very tasty.

Patron: It’s really fragrant, crispy and the pieces don’t stick together.

Patron: The food is very tasty because it’s a time-honoured stall.

Fried Rice Cake is  known as Cha Koay Kak in northern Malaysia and it’s known as Fried Carrot Cake in central Malaysia.

Axian: I used to think what’s the different between Fried Carrot Cake and Fried Rice Cake hence these 2 dishes are the same but they are not. The ingredients are different.

Stall Owner: Yes, while this has a different taste.

Axian: So why did you sell Fried Rice Cake instead of Fried Carrot Cake ?

Stall Owner: I sold Fried Carrot Cake about 20 years ago. But the customers told me that carrots will neutralize the medicinal properties of the Chinese medicine that they were taking, so they couldn’t eat carrots. Hence, I gradually stopped selling Fried Carrot Cake.

This is a dessert stall that offers tasty desserts, and it has more than 50 years of history.

Axian: At what age did you start selling ?

Stall Owner: 24 years old. I’m now 79 years old.

Axian: So you’re transformed from a young fair lady into a beautiful grandmother. Am I right ?

Stall Owner: Yes, my grandchildren have grown up.

Axian: You’ve invested your youth in here.

Stall Owner: Yes.

Axian: How many types of desserts do you offer ?

Stall Owner: Five types of dessert. Steam Egg, Egg Tea, Ginko Nut Sour, Six-Taste Soup and Lotus Seed Soup.

Steamed Egg with Milk – The smooth steamed egg and the rich and sweet milk are combined in a semi-solid state. It has a soft and balanced texture, it’s smooth and velvety. It’s also not cloyingly sweet, and it has a nice fragrance of milk and eggs.

Patron: It’s said to be good for the skin, it’ll help to nourish the skin.

Patron: It’s hard to find this dessert elsewhere, so I come here for it.

Patron: This dessert is a rare treat, I think this is the only stall in Kuala Lumpur that sells it.

This is Steamed Egg With Milk, it was a steamed tonic for the common folks back in the old days. People who couldn’t afford to have Bird’s Nest Soup can have this nourishing dessert as an alternative instead.

The eggs are beaten and whipped into an egg mixture, fresh milk and rock sugar are then added. The mixture is steamed over a charcoal fire, the resulting product will have a tantalizing yellowish colour. It is smooth and velvety.

Axian: Why is it called Wuyi Tea with Egg ?

Stall Owner: This is Wuyi tea leaves. This is Chinese foxglove. So it call Wuyi Tea dessert.

Wuyi Tea with Egg – The soup has absorbed the essence of the Chinese foxglove and Wuyi tea. The nutrients are transferred to the soft and prominent egg, the tea soup has an unique fragrance and it doesn’t have the bitterness of Chinese medicine. It has an everlasting aftertaste.

Axian: The colour is really dark, it looks very bitter to me.

Stall Owner: It is not bitter, you try.

Axian: You’re right, it’s sweet and refreshing, it has the fragrance of tea leaves.

Stall Owner: The trick is to put less tea leaves because Wuyi tea has a strong flavour, but add more expensive Chinese foxglove.

Axian: Chinese foxglove is expensive, so you add more so that the tea won’t be too strong.

Axian: What are the benefits of eating this ?

Stall Owner: This is very nourishing for the body, and it’s good for old folks with arthritis, aching bones and coughs.

Axian: No wonder you’re so beautiful. Hahahaha…

I think many of the stalls here are handed down from generation to generation. For example, this plate of Curry Rice Noodle Rolls has more than 50 years of history. This handsome stall keeper here is of the third generation.

Curry Rice Noodle Rolls – Yellow curry gravy is poured over the tantalizing rice noodle rolls although it looks ordinary at first, the addition of crispy pig skin, dried shrimps and sesame seeds will enhance the appearance and taste of the dish. It’s thin and smooth, it’s fragrant but not spicy.

Axian: I can tell that your curry is different from others. What’s so unique about it ?

Stall Owner: We’ve added turmeric powder and curry powder. That’s why it’s so fragrant.

Patron:  The rice noodle rolls are very tasty, the curry gravy is very fragrant. The dried shrimps are very crispy.

Axian: While I was enjoying the Curry Rice Noodle Rolls just now, this stall owner challenged me to give him a history quiz.

Axian: Can you tell us the history of this food street ?

Stall Owner: It was started in 1960 when Malaysia just gained independence, that period was the golden age.

Axian: Why so ?

Stall Owner: There were 3 major cinemas, Starlight, Jin Hua and Da Hua around then. People would come here for dating and watching movie.

Patron: People would come here for cheap food after watching movies.

For residents who had witnessed the past glory of this street, coming here now does not merely satisfy their hunger, it will also allow them to re-experience the previously familiar sights and sounds of yore.

There are many “food streets” around that aren’t really streets, it might just be an alley or a food centre. But this food street is indeed a real street. The name of this street is Jalan Sayor. During the day, Jalan Sayor is just a normal street, but in the evening, more than 30 food stalls will occupy the whole street. Hence, the area will look like a food centre instead of a street at first glance.

With each passing day, patrons have developed a sense of irreplaceable longing for the nostalgic food found on this food street. That’s the reason why Jalan Sayor is crowded from evening till midnight.

Pork Noodles – Pig bones and anchovies are stewed to produce a sweet and tasty broth. In addition to pork, all other ingredients used are fresh. All their ingredients are top-notch.

Axian: Your Pork Boodles from Kuala Lumpur is quite similar to the Flat Rice Noodle Soup in Penang.

Stall Owner: The 4 ingredients used in this dish are minced pork, pig liver, lean pork and pig intestines.

Axian: The Flat Rice Noodle Soup in Penang requires fishballs and fishcakes, so the 2 dishes are different. So this is Kuala Lumpur Flat Rice Noodle Soup.

Now if I were to operate a food stall one day, I must work slowly so that a long queue will be formed. This will help to create an impression that my food is good. Let’s check out why is there such a long queue here.

Axian: Why is there such a long queue?

Patron: Because the food is tasty. Their Fried Chicken is very popular. There’s always a long queue for it.

Axian: Isn’t the stall just a normal street-side Fried Chicken Stall ? What’s so special about this “Winner’s Fried Chicken” stall that makes patrons queue for 20 minutes without complaining ?

Patron: When we come here to eat, we’ll definitely buy the Fried Chicken. The Fried Chicken is very crispy.

Stall Owner: We have Fried Chicken, French Fries, Chicken Gizzard, Chicken Feet, Chicken Neck, Parson’s Nose and Chicken Bones.

Fried Chicken – All parts of the chicken from the thigh to the neck are fried till golden and crispy. The skin is tasty while the meat is tender and succulent. According to the patrons this Fried Chicken is truly unique.

Patron: The chicken skin is very crispy.

Axian: Many people told me that they’re addicted to your Fried Chicken, so what’s your secret ?

Stall Owner: The secret is to do the cooking with a sincere heart.

Axian: I know that, but I can’t seem to match your standard.

Stall Owner: It’s because you lack the skills.

Jalan Sayor is a vibrant street filled with a communal spirit. It seems to share a natural affinity with the people. Foodies find it irresistible, perhaps that’s why this area which catered to the needs of the people is so much more appealing than run-of-the-mill food centres.

Address: Jalan Sayor, Kuala Lumpur.

GPS Coordinate ：N  3∘  8.101’      E  101∘  42.776’

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